BB
Working in Hanoi, Vietnam
Monthly Earnings 85,000
Q1. How is that income broken down? (full-time salary, private students, on-line teaching, extra work, etc)
Some background: I work at a good international school in Hanoi, but on somewhat of a local package.
I get about 2600 usd net a month as salary, a 13th month and a ticket home, but I also do some substitute work that has netted me an extra 5,000 usd this year. I also teach a Vietnamese family twice a month in the weekends, that made me about 1,500 usd this school year.
If you add the 13th month and the extra money I earn, I guess my average monthly salary is about 3.300 usd a month, so about 105.000 baht a month. I do have to work extra for that of course, but it's not a big effort.
Q2. How much money can you save each month?
Cost of living in Hanoi is ridiculously low. Having been all over Asia I think I can honestly say there is no big Asian city that is cheaper to live in then Hanoi. This year I've saved about 15,000 us dollar, while having had multiple weekends away and three extended trips, both in and out of Vietnam. So I should say I am able to save about 1,300 dollars a month after holidays and while having a decent social life.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
I pay 680 dollars for my modern condo that has a pool and small gym (rarity in Hanoi at the moment, though more and more of these kind of buildings are being build). I also pay 60 dollars for management fees and parking for my motorbike. In total about 24,000 baht.
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
I rent a motorbike for about 50 dollars a month and work is a 5-minute ride away. Petrol is dirt cheap, I fill my tank twice a month for 3 dollars. So 1,800 baht a month.
Utility bills
Again, dirt cheap here. Water is a few dollars a month and electricy is cheap too. In the winter months my utility bills come down to 25 dollars a month, in the blazing summer perhaps 45 dollars. Lets say on average per month about 1,100 baht. Another 500 baht per month for internet and TV.
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
I only cook about once a month, because every now and then I need some soup that reminds me of home but other then that I only eat out. I love Vietnamese food and it's very cheap. Any Vietnamese meal will cost me 1-2 dollars.
Western food is widely available too here, and very well priced. I've actually haven't had Vietnamese food in a month now, but I don't spend more then 10 dollars per western meal, and that is a very good meal while sitting in a very nice restaurant. All in all, I think I spend about 350 dollars a month on food. About 11,000 baht.
Nightlife and drinking
It really depends on the person you ask if Hanoi is a drinking city. if you go to the Bia Hoi's where you can get a beer for 0.4 cents, it is, since there are thousands of them. It's actually quite refreshing, especially in the hot summer months, but I am not a big beer drinker.
Hanoi is not a clubbing city, and places actually close early, so there is not that much to do. I like it that way, it's an easy life. All in all, I usually have a few drinks in the weekend but again, it's very reasonable. Perhaps about 4,000 baht a month.
Books, computers
Nothing. Work has a huge library if I want real books, and I use an e-reader myself, so can download stuff if I want.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
It's great, with cheap food and plenty of stuff to do. Vietnam is an amazing country and very beautiful, especially the north of Vietnam. I have done a few motorbike trips in Thailand (Mae Hong Son loop, Chiang Rai loop), which were very nice, but the north of Vietnam is truly spectacular (the Ha Giang loop), and the north is even cheaper then Hanoi.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
You can find some realy good food here for very low prices. There is a great sushi place in the Tay Ho district, with a chef trained in Japan. I go there at least once a week and can completely stuff myself for 10 dollars and I can say with confidence I've only had better sushi in Japan itself. The food is good and cheap in Hanoi.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
You can probably live a comfortable lifestyle with just 1,500 dollars a month. My condo is actually quite expensive compared to some others (though prices can be way higher too). I see many young English teachers sharing houses and just pay 150 dollars for a room. You can probably even have a decent life here on just 1,000 dollars, though not as much fun.
As a side note: The reason I am writing this, apart from reading your website for years, is that I am moving to an international school in Bangkok in August, so it would be interesting to see how things compare. I will send in another survey after a few months or so.
Phil's analysis and comment
Sounds like a good life to be had as a teacher in Hanoi. I'm off to Vietnam myself this week for the first time but the mountain city of Dalat rather than the likes of Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh. I think it's the first place I've been to where I have absolutely no idea what to expect.
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